Lawmakers: deny request to shelter kids

Friday

Jul 18, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By Matt TotaDaily News Staff

State Rep. Ryan Fattman next week will file a resolution in the House asking Gov. Deval Patrick to deny the Obama administration’s request to shelter some of the unaccompanied children illegally crossing the country’s southern border.

The Sutton Republican on Thursday began circulating the resolution among other lawmakers hoping to gain co-sponsors.

"I’m calling on other representatives and senators to join with me and make it abundantly clear to the governor that we have enough problems here in Massachusetts with illegal immigration and we do not need to exacerbate them," Fattman said.

Thousands of unaccompanied children from Central America have been crossing the border from Mexico, prompting President Barack Obama earlier this month to ask for $3.7 billion in emergency funds to address the crisis. According to the White House, $116 million would go toward the transportation costs associated with the rise in detentions of unaccompanied children.

The Department of Homeland Security expects to detain as many as 90,000 unaccompanied minors at the border this year.

Patrick has said that the president asked other state governors to help shelter the children. Connecticut has already told Obama no.

The request comes as state legislators and county sheriffs react to news that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been using Massachusetts prisons to hold some of its detainees, though no children or families.

The Cape Cod Times reported Thursday that Patrick is considering Camp Edwards at Joint Base Cape Cod in Sandwich as a possible shelter for some of the minors. In 2005, Camp Edwards housed refugees from Hurricane Katrina.

Later Thursday, the Associated Press reported that Patrick said the state would probably only receive a few hundred children, but he still hasn’t decided whether he would accept the president’s request.

According to state Sen. Richard Moore, D-Uxbridge, Patrick has not consulted with Massachusetts Senate President Therese Murray.

Moore said he’d prefer Patrick decline to shelter any children because there are too many unanswered questions, such as who’ll be responsible for them. On Wednesday, he and state Rep. John Fernandes, D-Milford, sent a letter to the governor looking for answers.

Moore will participate in a conference call next week with ICE’s acting director, John Sandweg.

Fattman, who is running for the Worcester and Norfolk Senate seat currently held by Moore, plans to bring his resolution to the House floor next Wednesday to force a vote.

He said among his concerns is how the state would pay to house the children.

"There have been overtures that we would get help. But why should we trust the federal government now with their track record on this issue?" he said.

Matt Tota can be reached at 508-634-7521 or mtota@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @matttotamdn.